Pureblood Chronicles Book 2: SHIELDs Corruption
by Vokun's Army
Summary: It's been a week since Alex fought Vaermina and he still lives in the dragon world. However, when a hero is killed and Alex is blamed, he is sent back to Coroscaunt where he is apprehended by a secret organization.
1. Prologue

**One Week Later**

"Ember! You need more speed! Fly around the trees, not above them!" commanded Spyro. "Be subtle Flame! If your enemy doesn't see you coming, you have the advantage!" Alex stood against the balcony's railing in the Dragon's Dojo watching Spyro and two recruits fly around the forest below him. Their movements were so agile and swift. Alex had not turn into a dragon for some time now due to his wounds from Vaermina and the mysterious droid. He missed the ability to fly.

"There you are. I've been looking for you," spoke a male voice behind him.

"Sorry Hunter," Alex spoke, turning around. "Is it time for training now?"

"Yes child, follow me to the training room," he said. Alex followed Hunter back into the dojo. The past week had been very strange for Alex. About a day after Alex awoke in the Dragon City, he forgot almost everybody. He even forgot his own name: Alex.

Eventually, Ally was able to jog his memory. He didn't know why he had forgotten everything. He wondered if he ever would. Alex followed Hunter into a massive chamber with a large dragon statue in the center. Ally stood against the wall, waiting for them. She pressed against a brick on the wall and the large statue slowly sunk beneath the floor of the chamber.

"Good morning gentlemen," she spoke in her full set of armor, minus the helmet.

"Hello Ally, why are you here?" Hunter asked.

"I'm here to discuss how Alex's new weapon functions," she answered.

"Weapon? What weapon?" Alex asked Ally.

"Your gauntlet. You no longer have the ability to harness the powers of a dragon on your own, so I created this gauntlet to help you," she answered. Alex stared at his robotic arm for a few long seconds. The strangest thing was not that he had this arm, but the fact that somebody who didn't seem much older than him, created it; a teenager had created it.

"What does it do?" Alex asked.

"Well, one of Cynder's most amazing powers is her power over the shadows. She has the power to make herself invisible and now, so do you," she explained.

"No way! How?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well I was able to attach electronic pylons that'll emit an electromagnetic field around your body, causing light to bend around you, thus rendering yourself invisible," she spoke rather quickly.

"So…how do I turn it on?" he asked, looking all over the gauntlet. Suddenly, eight small spikes emerged around the edge of his robotic arm.

"The same way you were able to fly, it's like a nerve," she answered. Alex heard a small humming sound and stared at his arm; he couldn't see it. All he could see was a small outline of his gauntlet, and even that was barely visible. He looked at the rest of his body and it was the same way, camouflaged with his environment.

"I am such a genius," she spoke to herself. Alex could feel the pylons like little fingers and he pulled them into his gauntlet. The field dissipated and Alex was visible again.

"That… is pretty awesome," he said admiring the gauntlet.

"I know," she spoke, proud of herself.

"Are you ready to start training Alex?" asked Hunter.

"Yeah! Let's do it!" he said, anxious to try his gauntlet in action. Hunter held out his left hand and a blue keyblade appeared. It had a round handle and a keychain hung of the edge of it, bearing an arrowhead at the end. Two, slightly curved, metal rods made up the blade along with a piece of metal, similarly designed to the bit on the end of Nelsine's keyblade.

"Wait, I'm fighting you?" he asked.

"Why yes. You don't have robes or simple clothes slowing you down. You have light body armor. It's very good for somebody of your fighting style," he explained. Alex stared down at the attire he was wearing.

"What fighting style is that exactly?" Alex asked.

"That, of a rogue's," he answered simply.

"Okay what do I have to do?" he asked.

"Simple, hide," Hunter said.

"You're kidding right? You do know I have this invisibility?" Alex spoke.

"Yes, but can you use it?" Hunter asked.

"Alright then," Alex spoke while readying his gauntlet for invisibility. Hunter turned around and Alex's body blended in with the walls around him. He walked normally around Hunter, waiting for him to strike. Hunter shifted his feet ever so slightly and looked at Ally. She closed her eyes and, seconds later, a blue quiver filled with arrows appeared on Hunter's back. He flicked the hand holding the keyblade causing it to split and shifted into a new weapon, a bow.

String shot out of both ends and connected in the middle. Hunter quickly grabbed an arrow and drew his bow. Alex flinched as the arrow shot out of the bow. It went right through his robotic arm and hit the wall, before disappearing.

"What? But, how did you-"

"The humming. Your arm makes noise that my ears can pick up easily," he answered.

"Well, that's more of a technical flaw," Alex said.

"Hey! I'd like to see you make something like that," Ally defended.

"Oh don't worry. I still think it's the best thing ever," he complemented.

"Until you get a keyblade," Hunter added.

"Wait, why does your keyblade…transform?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Why is that Ally?"

"I don't know either. I've always wondered that myself,"

"So… did I pass?" Alex asked Hunter. He concentrated for the moment before answering.

"Listen… Spyro, Cynder, and the recruits are gonna spend the night in the forest. If you aren't spotted by Flame or Ember during that night, we'll continue with the training," Hunter said.

"But, if they see me, they'll know about the other realms," Alex remembered.

"Exactly. So stay out of sight," he suggested as Ally and Hunter walked out of the chamber. Alex stood there wondering if he should stay here, in this realm. His friends, Ashley and Jacob, had died on Corouscant. Since then, he didn't want to return. His head spun with so many thoughts. Behind him, a piece of stone had fallen of the wall where the arrow hit.

Alex walked over to observe it. On the ground, laid a small stone. He picked it up, with his robotic arm, and flipped it over. On the other side, purple, jagged crystals poked out from the inside of the rock. He felt a massive jolt traveling up his arm and dropped the stone. The crystals shattered on the ground and bolts of electricity, from the crystals, shot at the wall and formed a point.

Then three creatures appeared, one at a time; it seemed as though they came from the electricity. Alex fumbled at his waist, looking for his dagger, but didn't see it there. The creatures were about seven feet tall and mostly black. Stone-like skin covered their bodies. Their left hands were much bigger than their other hands. Large spikes were attached to their stone-like skin. Alex slowly stepped back as they slowly proceeded. He unlatched his, non-robotic, gauntlet from his right arm and threw it at the creature in the center. It stuck out his left arm and a large white energy field appeared in front of it.

The piece of metal bounced off of the shield and onto the floor.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," he said as they approached them. However, seconds later, they stopped advancing. Alex was in shock, but something caught his attention. His robotic arm was shrouded in black mist. Suddenly, he remembered what Ally had told him about the gauntlet. He tried turning invisible, but he couldn't move the pylons. The creature on the right threw some sort of purple energy sphere it had created at Alex. He placed his hands in front of him as the orb sped towards him. The next second, he couldn't feel anything. Alex couldn't see anything either.

In a way, he was able to detect the creatures; he could feel their presence. He had become a black cloud of mist and the orb went right through him. The creatures stared at him as if they had made a mistake. The three of them kneeled before Alex.

"Forgive us my lord," one hissed, "We did not realize that you have returned." Alex switched back, he didn't know how, and stared them.

"Who are you?" Alex asked.

"My lord, your army has returned. And we are ready to cast your shadow among the realms," another hissed.

"My army?" he asked.

"Of course. When you are ready, we at your command," it hissed again.

"Um… await my command. Return to where you came and… await my arrival," he struggled to say.

"As you wish," the creature replied before the three of them returned to the wall of electricity and vanished. Alex picked up the remains of the stone and shoved them into his only pocket.

"What was that?" shouted a female voice. Ally walked into the training room. "Alex, was that you making that noise?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It sounded like you were speaking gibberish to somebody," she explained.

"Um… it was me singing, it's been a long time since I last sang," he lied.

"Apparently," she said, not believing him. She walked out through the large circular door. Alex stood there, thinking. Not only did he speak to these things, but it wasn't even in his language. What were they? What was this stone? What happened to him? There were so many questions. Alex was back to square one with who he thought he was.


	2. CH 1: The Dark Makers

**Chapter One: The Dark Makers**

Alex stood there in disbelief. That was impossible. He couldn't be able to speak another language. Although Alex, about a week ago, would also have said that dragons didn't exist. He decided that only one person could tell him what's going on. He grabbed the gauntlet he threw and put it back on his right arm. Alex walked quietly out of the training room. He walked down the hallway, trying his best not to be seen, until he reached Nelsine's study. He cautiously knocked on the new wooden door. She opened the door calmly, but was surprised to see Alex standing there.

"Hello Alex, is there something I can help you with?" she asked.

"Yes," he whispered. He looked behind him to make sure that nobody was looking. "I need you to take me to Ignitus."

"If you want to see the Chronicler, why not ask Al- Oh, so we're keeping secrets are we? Why should I help you?" she asked trying to keep her voice down.

"Because if you don't, I'll tell everybody it was you who put Ally's miasma into Cynder's water," he threatened.

"Ugh, fine I'll help you. Get in here," She said quickly. Alex walked through and Nelsine closed the door behind them. When Alex entered the room, so many memories rushed through his head.

"You know, the last time I was in here, you wanted to kill me," Alex remembered. Nelsine chuckled as she approached a large wooden bookshelf.

"Good times huh?" she said laughing.

"Just help me get to Ignitus please," Alex pleaded.

"Alright! Alright! No sense of humor apparently," she said to him. Nelsine grabbed a big brown book and put it on a short nightstand. She held out her right hand and a black keyblade appeared.

"That never gets old," Alex said in awe. A light, in the shape of a keyhole, appeared on the book and Nelsine held her keyblade high above her head. She injected the blade into the light and the book disappeared. A ball of light was left on the blade and she pointed it at the door. The orb was shot instantaneously towards the door and it glowed faintly.

"That was my last Book of Secrets. This better be important," she spoke.

"So… do I just open the door?" Alex asked.

"Yes, Ignitus should be on the other side," she answered. Alex walked, slowly, to the door and slowly twisted the knob. He opened the door and saw a large hallway, full of stone warriors standing against the wall. The statues were about ten feet tall and Alex just stared around him. Moments later, he heard a door slam and turned around. It wasn't there anymore; it was a blank wall.

Suddenly, four stone statues erupted from the stillness and looked at him. They looked like knights; the armor was similar to Ally's. He reached for his dagger but realized it wasn't there. Alex stared at his gauntlet and concentrated. The statues walked toward him and Alex dissipated. He had formed into a black cloud of mist. He flew around over one of them and reformed upon the warrior's shoulders. Another statue took its massive, metal, sword and swung it at Alex. He dissipated just as the sword slashed the statue's head clean off his shoulders.

It dropped its sword and fell to the ground. Alex picked up the weapon and held it strong, or tried to. It was extremely heavy. Two statues approached him and Alex was forced to drop the weapon. He froze. He couldn't move. Both swung their swords at Alex and he braced for impact. He shielded his eyes with his arms. Nothing happened. Alex opened his eyes and saw, past his arms, a shield. It was identical to the ones used by the creatures.

They pressed their blades against Alex's shield, but couldn't push through. Alex stared down at his waist and saw his sheathed dagger. Alex forced the shield out and the stone warriors staggered. He drew his dagger and slashed the head off of one of them. The other statue made a horizontal swing just as Alex dissipated and sprinted past him. He rematerialized behind the statue and injected his dagger into its chest. He pulled out quickly and kicked the statue to the ground. Four more statues erupted from the walls.

"C'mon! You've got to be kidding me!" Alex shouted. They began to advance towards him.

"Stop!" somebody shouted. The statues stopped and returned to their spots on the wall. In an open doorway, stood a blue dragon.

"Oh, and I thought Nelsine tried to kill me. What are these Ignitus?" Alex asked.

"My security," he answered.

"Um okay," Alex said panting. He walked towards him until they both were in a large blue chamber with books, crystals, and other miscellaneous objects.

"So what do you need child?" he asked Alex.

"Answers," Alex said.

"Ah yes, your encounter in the dojo," he said, as if recollecting.

"What were those things? How are they related to me?" Alex asked quickly.

"They are Dark Makers. They are ancient beings from another realm," he answered.

"This doesn't make any sense."

"Calm yourself. Look at your arm. It looks like them doesn't it?"

"Is this made from those things?"

"No, from their machines," he answered slowly.

"I thought Ally made it?" Alex asked.

"She did," Ignitus said.

"How? None of this makes any sense!" Alex shouted. He stared down at his sheathed dagger. "At least tell me about this thing." Alex unsheathed the dagger and held it up to Ignitus.

"It's an Obsidian blade, a common weapon used by dragons in the early years. For the longest time, Purebloods were at war with the Keyblade Masters," he explained.

"That's why Nelsine joined the Court," Alex realized.

"Yes. Her hatred towards Cynder caused her to fear and hate all dragons," he added

"Why were dragons at war with the Keyblade Masters?" Alex asked.

"Not all dragons, just the Purebloods. They were the original dragons, until some evolved into dragons similar to Spyro, Cynder, and me. The ones who didn't evolve, however, thought that they should be in command of this realm. Some of the creatures you've encountered, heartless, were derived from those weapons. They trap the soul of any enemy killed by the weapon so that they could use it in battle. They had the ability to summon the soul as a heartless and add to their army as the battle took place," Ignitus explained.

"So the other creatures, the Dark Makers, what are they? Why did they call me their lord?" Alex asked.

"They're creatures from another realm. A few short years ago, the Dark Makers were led by a man who was corrupted by an evil energy: dark eco. He was transformed into a man with an iron fist. More than likely, they thought you were him," He answered.

"Why do I have these new powers? Why can't I become a dragon anymore?"

"You see, when you faced Vaermina, you were forced to become a heartless. It was just your soul when you left her realm. Your body was left behind in Oblivion. A body with no soul isn't anybody. It's a nobody," Ignitus explained.

"She destroyed my body but my soul was protected, is that what you're saying?"

"Not quite. In a way, Alex did die on that day. Alex was split into his soul and his body. Alex split into his heartless and his nobody. You are his heartless. If you can find his nobody, Alex can be reformed."

"How are the Dark Makers related to the heartless?" Alex asked.

"The two are extremely similar. Some believe that they are the same thing," Ignitus said.

"This is a lot to take in," Alex said, chuckling to keep himself from feeling worse.

"Head back to the dojo. Do Hunter's assignment. I shall speak with you later," Ignitus suggested while creating a small portal on the wall.

"Thank you," Alex spoke while walking towards the portal. "Wait, why are also called the Chronicler?"

"It is my duty to record the events of this age. I know everything that happens in this realm. It is the obligation of an All-seer," he answered.

"What's an All-seer?"

"It is a being within every realm who records the actions of what occurs in every realm. They were originally, the only beings who knew of the other realms."

"Who's the All-seer in my realm," Alex asked.

"It is one of the best warriors in that realm. He is a little green jedi who knows everything that has happened in the last seven hundred years. Alex had no idea who Ignitus was talking about, but if he was a jedi, than he must be very important.

"Well, good bye Ignitus," Alex said, walking through the portal.


	3. CH 2: Black Beauty

**Chapter Two: Black Beauty **

Alex appeared in a round room with a round bed in the center of it. He recognized it fairly easily. It was the same room he woke up in for the past couple of days. He ran over to look out of the nearest window. It was still light outside. Alex walked over to the bed and plopped into it. He couldn't sleep. He didn't want to sleep. Instead, he laid there wide awake staring at his gauntlet. He concentrated hard and his body slowly dissipated into a black cloud of mist. He traveled around the room and shot out of the window rather quickly. He floated into the open air and sped forward with increased speed.

Alex… sensed the dojo behind him and shot back to it and reformed onto the roof.

"This almost beats flying," he said to himself. He looked around at the green world around him. It was amazing, just as majestic as the first time he traveled to this realm. He stared at all of the trees and the sun out in the distance. It reminded him so much of Corouscant. He felt that he would never tire of this view.

A few minutes later, something in the forest caught his attention. He automatically dissipated and shot into the forest and reappeared in front of a golden sphere. It began to change its shape and formed a golden droid with a circular base. A small blade popped out of its right arm and it slashed at Alex. He couldn't react in time and its blade went through his body armor and cut through his skin.

His arm became cloaked by electricity as a crossbow formed from the droid's left arm. It shot out a crossbow bolt as Alex held out his hand and formed a white shield in front of him. It disintegrated as the bolt made contact with the field. Suddenly, he grabbed his right shoulder with his left hand, warm blood oozed through his fingers. He stared at the droid; it looked ready to finish him.

Sparks shot out of his metal gauntlet and he forced his left hand outward. A purple orb of energy surged towards the golden droid. It struggled to stand its ground as sparks surrounded its body. Eventually, the entire thing fell to the ground as Alex fell to his knees, out of exhaustion. Alex breathed heavily as blood dripped from his injured shoulder. He stared intently at his metal gauntlet. What was that thing? Where did it come from? He was as confused as ever.

Somehow, Alex was connected to magical beings that are separated from their bodies. Somehow, he was a heartless. He heard voices behind him and looked back, towards the dojo. He saw four creatures approaching him: dragons. He crawled, slowly, to the nearest tree. He kneeled behind the tree and watched as Spyro, Cynder, Flame, and Ember flew overhead. He crawled to their landing site and they were gathered around a large fire.

"Listen, Hunter said he spotted something suspicious out here and we have to find out what it is," Spyro ordered.

"But we spent all day training. Don't you think we deserve a break?" Flame said sarcastically.

"I'm giving you one, you get to sleep tonight," Spyro replied.

"But we're gonna' have to take turns watching aren't we?" Ember whined.

"Not tonight, Hunter will watch over us," Cynder answered. Alex watched the sun as it slowly sank below the horizon. There was no sound other than the crackling of the fire. The four dragons curled up around the fire as night approached. Alex was able to position himself in a tree and watch the dragons as they slept soundly. He dug into his bag and began dabbing his wounds with a soft cloth. A few minutes later, Ember startled him.

"What's that? Of course we can be mates Spyro," she muttered while sleeping.

"Don't let Cynder hear you," Alex whispered, trying his best not to laugh. Suddenly he remembered something. He quietly placed his hand into his black bag and pulled out a small fuzzy box. Alex opened it. Inside, was an elegant silver ring aligned with white jewels. Tears began to flood his eyes until he could hold them back no longer. Water slowly began to trickle down his cheek as he inhaled sharply.

"If it pains you to look at it, then why do you?" asked a quiet voice next to him. On the same branch as Alex, Hunter rested on his feet.

"It's my way of not forgetting them," he answered.

"Why would you forget your friends?"

"When I first woke up, I forgot all about them. Nelsine gave me the box, but I didn't know what it was but I felt depressed. Later, she told me what it was from and… and I didn't want to forget them ever again."

"What is that exactly, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's a wedding ring," Alex answered slowly.

"Oh, I see. Were you planning on proposing to one of your friends?"

"No. One of my friends, Jacob was going to ask my other friend Ashley. They… died before he could ask her.

"Your situation is very similar to Nelsine's," Hunter observed.

"She doesn't know how I feel at all," he said sharply.

"She is trying to sympathize with you, but you're not letting her. You're shutting her out."

"She tried to get me killed. Why would I be a friend to someone like that?" Alex snapped, trying to keep his voice low.

"That's something for you to find out," Hunter answered.

"Why do you have to be so cryptic?" Alex asked. Hunter smiled a bit before staring at the box in Alex's hand. Alex noticed Hunter's gaze and quickly shoved it back into his satchel.

"Well listen, Spyro and Cynder know you're watching them. They are counting on you," Hunter said slowly. Alex didn't say a word as Hunter leapt gracefully from tree to tree until he was out of view. Alex watched the four dragons as he gently tapped his bag. Minutes later, something in the distance had caught his attention. He saw two familiar yellow eyes that made his heart sink. He saw black metallic skin that he recognized from his nightmares. He saw a murderer. He stared at her with a scowl and she smiled back, before walking into the darkness.

He looked down at his gauntlet, and then looked back at where she was. Alex unsheathed his dagger and evaporated into a cloud of mist. He shot forward and chased after her. He moved faster and faster until she was in view again. She slowed down, as if waiting for him. Alex launched himself towards the ground and reformed into a human.

"It's time to end this!" Alex shouted.

"Fascinating, you humans," she said calmly.

"Shut up!"

"Poor child, what do you have now? You have nothing," she taunted.

"I could kill you now. That's something," Alex challenged, "You killed my friends, and now you want me?"

"It isn't you we want."

"Too bad," Alex said, taking a defensive stance.

"You _are_ blind aren't you?" Suddenly, Alex heard several screams from behind him. He turned his head behind him and then back at her. She smiled as she faded away and a man with slightly long black hair in a green suit appeared. His heart stopped as the screams grew louder. He had no choice but to head back to the camp.

"You will all die by the hand of Loki," he muttered. Alex's heart was racing as he zigzagged around trees. He felt his very self getting weaker somehow. Every possibility of what happened swam in his head. As he got closer, he saw flames igniting the night sky. He knew something bad had happened. Trees were slowly burning as he reformed in front of a battlefield. Spyro laid crippled on the ground as a black figure pinned the other dragons to a burning bush. Rage consumed him. Alex didn't care if it was the same droid or not. All that mattered was their protection.

He ran towards her, dagger in hand and plunged it as far into her as he could. She didn't move. Seconds later, she swerved around and yanked the dagger out his hands. On her forehead, Alex saw a red handprint.

"You must not want your other hand either," she chuckled while holding two katanas. The three dragons desperately tried to attack, but to no avail. Alex slowly walked back and she persisted. He backed up until he tripped over a tree root and fell onto his back.

"You really are a fool child." She raised her katanas and swung towards him. There was nothing but a clash of metal in front of his face. In front of him was Ally in her armor. She pushed back her blades and the droid retreated.

"Black Beauty. I should've known you were behind this," Ally scowled.

"You really think I was on the planet when it was destroyed? Yes, I was able to save myself, unlike Violet. Poor android went down with her planet. How long she awaited rescue, only to be destroyed with the rest of our backwater world," Black Beauty said.

"You should've been on the planet when they destroyed it." Ally swung her keyblade at her but was blocked by the katanas. Alex stared at his dagger that was in the droid's back. He crawled toward its back and quickly stood up. Alex thrust the dagger up through her back. A large cut from the droid's shoulders to its head led to sparks flying. She stumbled and Ally swung her keyblade again and her head was pried apart. She fell motionless to the ground. Just moments later, the Elders flew into the woods. They were shocked.

"Cyril, Volteer, get the recruits into the dojo now!" Terrador ordered. Flame climbed onto Cyril's back and Ember on Volteer's. The four of them quickly headed back to the dojo. The others walked over to Spyro. He laid in a pool of his own blood. Holes were ripped into his wings and scales were torn from his body. His eyes were barely opened as everybody gathered around him. Cynder shoved her way in front of Spyro. Her eyes were drenched with tears.

"Cynder… don't cry. Be strong," Spyro said weakly.

"We've got to get him to a healing room!" Cynder shouted to the others.

"It's too late."

"Don't say that! We can still save you!" She began to drag his body but stopped and stared at the others.

"Why are you standing there? Help me!"

"Listen, it's… going to be okay," Spyro assured. His eyes slowly closed shut as he breathed his last. Spyro was completely motionless. Everybody stood quiet as Cynder tried to bring him back. It was no use. Suddenly, despair turned to rage as she looked behind her. She stared at Alex. She stared at the one person who was supposed to protect them. She pounced on top of him, pinning each of his limbs to the ground with her legs.

"This is your fault!" she shouted, "It was your job to watch us!" She growled and Alex saw poison developing in the back of her throat, ready to launch it at him. He could smell it. It was… venomous.

"Cynder. Cynder!" Ally shouted. Cynder let go of Alex before slashing him in the cheek with her tail blade. She propelled herself into the night sky and disappeared. There was no sign of her. On the dojo balcony, Nelsine saw everything. The wind blew against her stiff white fur and robe. Her tail did not stop shaking. All she did was slam her fist onto the balcony railing before storming off. Nelsine stomped across the corridor and into her study. She slammed and locked the door behind her. She stood there frozen while staring at the door. She felt somebody behind her and her rage only built up.

"Why did you do this? This was not part of our deal Loki," she said through gritted teeth.

"It was only a stage my darling. You should've known that if you hire the Dark Brotherhood, killing will be involved," Loki stated.

"I gave you our location. I gave you the best possible time to get her. And you kill Spyro instead."

"You told us to take care of Cynder by any means necessary."

"Your organization is corrupt," Nelsine scowled.

"In three days time, Cynder shall not be seen." Loki disappeared into a black cloud of mist and Nelsine was all alone. All she could do was be reminded of the mistake she had made, the mistake the cost the life of a hero.

**Chapter 3: Aftermath**

Alex stood up pressing his fingers against his check. Warm blood ran down his face as he stared into the night sky. He looked and looked and looked for Cynder, but all he could see were stars. He stared back at the others and Alex knew exactly what they were thinking. Was it really his fault? What'll happen to Cynder? Alex asked himself the same questions. They were just as surprised as he was. There was a long period of silence before Terrador spoke.

"Come, let's go inside." Ally and Alex hopped onto Terrador as they flew off back towards the dojo. Alex couldn't believe what just happened. Did Spyro really die right in front of him? Was it another one of Vaermina's tricks? He looked at Ally in front of him. He gently tapped on her armored shoulder. She turned around in response.

"Was she… was she really going to kill me?" Alex asked.

"Who, Cynder?" she replied. He nodded. She sighed. "I don't know. But… if it was anything like when I lost Marty, then yes. I believe she may have.

"It's just that… I saw her eyes glowing white and her skin looked darker," Alex observed.

"She's letting her emotions take over. The last time she almost lost Spyro… the results were catastrophic," Ally explained. The two fell silent as they approached the dojo. They landed and Ally and Alex got off of Terrador.

"I'm going to go get Spyro so that we can give him a proper farewell," He spoke weakly before flying back towards the woods. Cyril also flew into the woods to extinguish the flames. Ally trudged of into her room and Alex went to look for the others. He heard sobbing coming from a bedroom and Alex gently leaned against the wall to listen. It was Ember sobbing. Volteer tried his best to comfort her, but he couldn't. Then, Flame spoke.

"Everything is going to be okay."

"I just wish… I could tell him that I loved him," Ember spoke through tears.

"I know. I know." Alex couldn't stand this anymore. This _really_ was his fault. He slowly trudged to his room and collapsed onto his bed. He stared at the blank ceiling. He stared and stared until his eyes were forced shut and he fell asleep.

Outside, Ally sat near the top of the dojo and looked at the bright stars. Small tears trickled down her face. There was nothing but silence until she saw a silhouette fly across the moon and land in the woods below her. Her keyblade appeared in Ally's right hand and she dropped herself below. After a few seconds, she disappeared in a white light and appeared again on the ground. She ran in the direction of the silhouette for several minutes. It led her to an open hill, the same hill Spyro and Cynder would go to every day to watch the sun set. She saw Cynder lying there alone. The sun slowly began to rise as she layed motionless.

Ally felt that much better, knowing that Cynder was all right. She summoned a portal and disappeared right before a dragonfly flew over to the hill that Cynder was on.

"Phew! There you are. I've been looking for you and Spyro forever," Sparx spoke, oblivious to Cynder's crying, "Where is Spyro?" Cynder turned her head and faced Sparx. He saw tears flooding her eyes.

At the dojo, Alex woke up hours later. It was quiet. Alex stared out of his window and saw the sun high in the sky. He walked out of his room and began searching for the others. He walked down the silent hallway until he reached the training room. He heard voices from inside and carefully opened the door. He left just a crack of space as he peeked inside. It was a ritual. The elders, Flame, and Ember stood around the stone dragon. They all offered prayers to Spyro. He couldn't believe that they started without him. They didn't want him.

That was the final act that broke him. He couldn't take this anymore. This _was_ his fault. He had to leave… now. He rushed back to his room, grabbed his satchel and dagger, and ran to Ally's room. Her room was messy. Papers and tools were scattered across a desk and the floor. His hands fumbled on the floor as he struggled to find a book. He found it. He found the same kind of book that Nelsine used to take him to Ignitus. However, he forgot one important component: a keyblade. He kneeled on the floor with the book in his hands.

"I'll help you," spoke a voice from behind him. He quickly turned around and saw Nelsine.

"I thought you would be attending the ritual," Alex spoke quickly.

"I don't deserve to offer prayer," she explained. Alex stood up and held the book towards Nelsine. A black keyblade appeared in her right hand and she pointed it at the book. A keyhole-shaped light appeared on the cover of the book. Nelsine thrust her hand forward and impaled the book. It disappeared and a large ball of light was left on the tip of her keyblade. She pointed the keyblade past Alex and towards the wall. The light shot out and turned into a small doorway of light. Alex looked at the light, then looked back at Nelsine.

"I'm sorry. I've been such a jerk recently. So much of one that Spyro's gone now," Alex said softly.

"It's not your fault. It never was."

"Thanks Nelsine." Alex walked through the light as it dissipated. Nelsine hung her head low.

"It was my fault."

Alex walked out of the light and was almost blinded. He held his hand in front of his eyes to adjust. When he removed it, he saw a familiar sight. He saw a clear sky with speeders flying across it. He breathed in the city air and smiled. He was home. He was back on Corouscant. Hopefully, he could forget about what had happened. He looked behind him and saw a door. He looked in front of him and saw a green field with multiple chairs and tables. It was the library's back patio.

He looked behind him and saw the library. He walked back inside and walked outside to the front of the library. He saw three black dropships land several meters away from him. About twenty men in black suits approached him. He backed up slowly, but they persisted. They stopped in front of him and a woman began to speak. She had pale-white skin and dark blue hair.

"Alex?"

"Yes?"

"I'm agent Lucy Kuo with S.H.I.E.L.D. We need you to come with us."

**Chapter 4: Time of Dying**

"My lady, he is beginning to wake."

"Excellent. Is he capable of fighting?"

"As long as he is properly trained, he shall be ready."

"Thank you Calcemo. You may leave."

"As you wish my lady." Those were the only words he heard. He struggled to get up. He forced his heavy eyes open. He flexed his wings, weakly. He slowly steadied himself on all four of his legs. His tail dragged limply on the ground as he examined his surroundings. He was in a dark chamber full of miscellaneous tools and weapons. It was very dark and a face of disgust appeared on his face.

"This place is not to my liking as well." He whipped his head around and saw a mysterious woman in a bright white robe.

"Where am I?" he asked, "I thought I was dead."

"You are… young purple dragon," the woman spoke.

"How? Where-?"

"You are in Oblivion. And you have been chosen to participate in this year's Fight for Rebirth, Spyro," she explained.

"The last time I woke up and was forced to fight, it didn't go well," Spyro said.

"Last time, you were chained to another dragon," she replied. Spyro breathed in shallowly and spoke again.

"How did you know?"

"I am a daedric lord. I am Meridia. I have seen you in combat. You fight with courage and purpose."

"Why do you want me to compete?" Spyro asked.

"Because if you prove to be victorious, your soul shall return to the living," she explained. Spyro felt as though his heart had skipped a beat. If he could come back, if he could be with Cynder again, it would be worth it. But he felt obliged to find Marty. He may also be in this competition.

"Why? How does this benefit you?"

"I will not have the burden of caring for souls in my plane for a year." Spyro never learned much about Oblivion and the daedra, but this didn't sound too much of a reward for them.

"What do I have to do?" Spyro asked.

"It is simple. You must destroy the soul gems of the other competitors," she answered.

"You're… not asking me to kill them?" Spyro asked, confused.

"Your soul is already in Oblivion. You cannot die here," she explained.

"Why do I have to destroy these gems?"

"These gems contain the souls of the fighters. They were sealed there by the daedric lords. You still are able to feel pain, however. If you lose your gem, if it is destroyed, you shall not return. You will stay here… imprisoned." Spyro took some time to think. The stakes were high, but he had no choice. He had to compete.

"When is the fight?"

"It takes place in six days time. You have until then to train."

"Then let's begin."

**Chapter 5: S.H.I.E.L.D**

Aboard one of the dropships, Alex felt nervous. He didn't know who these people were or what they wanted with him. He sat in a very soft leather seat with armored men on both sides of him. They held blaster rifles that he had not seen before. The woman with the dark blue hair sat right across from him. She sat cross-legged with her hands over her lap. She stared intently at him.

"You don't need to tense up so much," she told Alex calmly.

"I'm sorry but I'm not used to being kidnapped," Alex replied.

"Kidnapped? We just want to ask you questions." Alex gave her a stare just as intent as hers.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked.

"Somewhere safe," she replied.

"Safe? Safe from what?" he asked. No response.

"Tell me."

"No, not here." Alex was frustrated. He was tired of getting no answers.

"There will be a familiar face there, however," she added. He didn't respond. He saw three of his friends murdered in less than a month. After what he did today, Alex was certain there were no more friendly faces, not for him. After a long silence, they softly hit the ground and Alex was escorted out of the vehicle. The three dropships took to the skies behind him.

"If I was in that ship, what were in the others?" Alex asked.

"Extra men. We had to take precautions," she answered. Alex didn't believe her for a second, but what was in front of him forced him to forget that. It was a massive complex with buildings stretching higher than the skyscrapers. It was amazing. He approached a small building that had a large insignia above an even larger door. The insignia was an eagle within a circle. Around the circle stood the words: Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. He stood still for a few seconds but was forced on with the butt of a rifle in his back.

He looked back at the rifle and saw that it looked like a standard-issue blaster rifle used by The Republic with a few modifications here and there.

He noticed that he had four rifles pointed at him as he entered the building. The interior was just as nice as the outside. Everybody inside was wearing a black suit and pressing their fingers against some sort of holographic device. They began approaching a large round desk.

"What are you doing?" spoke a familiar voice. Alex flung his head forward and saw a young woman in a very formal suit. He saw Ally. She walked up to them.

"Put down your weapons. That's an order," Ally said.

"My mistake Agent Rheimer. S.H.I.E.L.D protocol," the woman with dark blue hair replied, "Put down your weapons." Ally hugged Alex for a few seconds and Alex hugged back.

"How are you doing?" she asked him.

"I cannot catch a break," Alex replied.

"Welcome to my life," she said. They both smiled intently before Alex spoke again.

"So, why am I here exactly?"

"Hopefully it won't take long. We just need to ask you some questions. And I'll be the one doing that," she answered.

"With all due respect Agent Rheimer, the director said that she would be interrogating him personally," spoke the other agent.

"Director Cross?"

"Yes ser." Ally looked around at the mass of people and saw one.

"Agent Estheim!" Ally called out. A man with spiky white hair looked around him. Ally signaled him to come over and he slowly jogged. He approached them and seemed surprised to see Alex, but kept his attention towards Ally.

"Hope, can you take Alex here to Director Cross?" Ally asked the man.

"Of course Agent Rheimer," he replied.

"Excellent. Kuo, come with me please." Kuo nodded her head and her men left the building. The four of them separated, with Agent Kuo and Ally walking in one direction and Alex and the white-haired man in another direction. Ally waited until they were out of earshot from the others and then spoke to Agent Kuo.

"I thought the director said that I was to talk to him."

"She has strict orders from the council to interrogate him herself." Ally looked very concerned.

"I wouldn't worry about him. His kind did try to destroy their world," Kuo told her.

"All of you are the same. Not all dragons are evil," Ally scowled.

"He's not a dragon. He's a heartless," she scowled back.

"It doesn't matter. She shouldn't be talking to him."

"I realize that this is a sore subject, but he isn't Marty." Ally gave her a look of disgust.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she said while walking towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Agent Kuo asked her.

"There's something I have to do."

Meanwhile, Alex and the white-haired man walked down a narrow hallway. Alex felt as if he had seen him before. He stared at him, while trying not to be rude. The man caught a glimpse of him staring and spoke.

"I understand if there's confusion."

"You have no idea," Alex replied. The feeling bugged him. He felt like he had seen this man before. Then he remembered. He saw him in a dream about two weeks ago. In the dream, the man was handing him a strange object. He looked like a good friend in the dream. Alex felt like he could trust him.

"Do you know a man named Marty?" Alex asked.

"Yes. Yes I do. We were very good friends," he answered.

"Really? How did you know him?" Alex asked.

"Well, I'm not from this realm; I'm from another entire world. We were experiencing time anomalies and an experiment of ours took me to another realm, rather than another time," he explained.

"You were attempting time-travel?" Alex asked.

"Not the best action, I'll admit, but we were desperate. Anyways, I was taken to a small world of—"

"Dragons," Alex finished.

"Yes. I encountered Spyro and Cynder. I arrived a few months later than Marty and Ally did. Marty, Spyro, and I became good friends who fought well together."

"Why does everybody get sent to Spyro's world?" Alex asked, struggling to say his name.

"All of these realms are connected together, like a web. Think of it as… a funnel. And Spyro's realm is near the center," Hope explained.

"What's at the exact center?" Alex asked.

"Oblivion," he answered. Hope stopped walking and Alex stood still next to him. They stopped in front of a small black door.

"This is it. Good luck," Hope said before leaving. Alex walked to the door and slowly twisted the knob.

**Chapter 6: The Assassin**

Meanwhile, Ally had returned to the hill that Cynder laid on grieving. Ally was still in her uniform. Her hair rested upon her shoulders as she breathed in deeply. Ally hid behind a bush as Cynder rested on the hill. She debated whether to talk to her or not. She decided to. She forced herself out of the bush and slowly walked towards her. Ally ran every possibility of what would happen and developed a strategy to help her. Eventually, She was right behind her. Cynder could hear Ally's footsteps.

"What is it?" Cynder asked.

"I came to check on you," Ally answered.

"Thanks, but I'm fine." Ally sat down next to her.

"Listen, you need to come back. The Elders are worried about you."

"I can't come back. Leave me alone."

"If you're worried about Alex, he's gone."

"He is?"

"I know what you're going through and I realize that you want to be alone, but the worst thing for you now is isolation."

"You don't know how I feel," Cynder said quietly.

"I lost Marty. I do know," Ally reminded her. Cynder said nothing and Ally stood up and began to walk down the hill. She stood still in her tracks. "Just don't make the same mistake I did."

"And what was that?" Cynder asked.

"Thinking that I lost my only friend in the world," Ally answered. She started walking down the hill again. Cynder laid still on the hill as Ally walked away. She eventually disappeared and Cynder's head was brimming with thoughts. They were interrupted when she heard a familiar voice. She quickly stood up and examined the world around her. The voice was a faint whisper. She heard her name.

"Cynder," the voice spoke again, louder this time. Cynder whipped her head around several times before finding the voice's owner. It belonged to a purple dragon with yellowish-orange horns. Off in the distance, she saw Spyro. He walked into the woods and Cynder followed him by air. She got deep into the forest when she lost Spyro. She looked around and saw him again. She looked into his eyes and Spyro looked into her eyes.

"Spyro? Is that… really you?" Cynder muttered.

"Of course it is," Spyro spoke caringly.

"But how?" she asked, struggling to hold back tears.

"I had to fight. I was able to return when I won," Spyro explained.

"I… I still can't believe it's you."

"Neither can I," spoke a third voice. Cynder looked around her and examined every tree. Then, she turned her attention back to Spyro. He was smiling mischievously. Cynder gasped has Spyro glimmered and faded into nothingness.

"No!" Cynder shouted. A man appeared out of the darkness. He had long black hair and green and gold armor. Cynder growled at him.

"Did you honestly fall for that?" the man spoke.

"Who are you?" Cynder asked through gritted teeth.

"I am Loki of Jotenheim," he answered.

"What do you want?"

"Quite simple my darling… you," he answered.

"Why? Why do you want me?" she asked.

"You should be thanking me, seeing as how dragons of purple scales have treated your kind in the past," he said to her.

"What do you mean?" Cynder asked while circling him, "How do you know about hi?" He laughed.

"Surely you must be aware of the purebloods' history."

"They were the original dragons. They were the ancient ones. Eventually, they evolved into us," Cynder recalled.

"Young dragoness how wrong you are. Granted they are ancient, but no evolution took place."

"Why am I even talking to you? You're just spitting out lies!" she shouted. He laughed again.

"You remind me of your mother. So much anger. Very powerful."

"What? You knew her? That's impossible! You couldn't have known her!"

"Oh but I did. I saw her in battle. I saw a pureblood dragon with purple scales rip off her wings." He gradually raised his voice. "I saw her blood splatter in every direction!" He slowly approached her. "I saw her black scales litter the ground around her. I saw her cry out in pain! I saw tears in her eyes! "

"No! No you're lying!"

"She screamed as loud as she could, but nobody helped her. She was left to die! I saw her legs torn apart! I saw her body in shambles!" he approached her closer as Cynder stood frozen. "Do you know whose fault it is? Do you know who's to blame? It's his kind! It's their fault!" Loki shouted while flailing his hand towards her back. "All they do is take the ones they love from you." Cynder winced and staggered. She felt her mind go blank. She fell to the ground, unconscious. Loki stared at her confused. Then he saw a small metal object in her wing.

"Sorry, your speech was taking too long," spoke a male voice above him. "Was all that drama necessary?"

"It will benefit us. Even as we speak, she thinks about what she has just heard now," Loki explained. He looked at the man. He wore metallic armor and a jet pack rested on his shoulders. His face was hidden behind his helmet.

"Are you sure this is the one?" the man asked.

"I am. Hopefully, she'll make Eon more cooperative if necessary. Why? Do you not have faith in me?"

"I put faith into no one sir," he spoke bravely.

"You've learned well." Loki pulled a black stone from his pocket and held it open. It hovered in the air for a few seconds before shattering. A swirling portal took place of the stone shards and Loki threw Cynder over his shoulders. "Watch over them. Make sure that they do acquire Alex."

"Yes sir!" Loki disappeared through the portal with Cynder. The man in mandalorian armor looked around him. He removed his helmet and felt the few small rays of sunshine on his face. He placed his left hand on a holster concealing a small commando pistol. He grabbed the pistol flung his hand behind him. He looked and saw a mysterious warrior. He could tell it was a female by her build. The armor was dark yet simple. Her helmet had three small spikes erupting from the chin area. She grabbed two small cylinders and black light shot out and formed a point: black light sabers. She appeared to be a sith stalker. However, the man felt confident.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" he asked.

"When is nothing allowed?" she asked in response.

"I don't know, when there's a sign?"

"When all is permitted," she answered. He shot once as the woman twisted her hand and deflected it with her light saber. He shot again and she returned it back to him. He dodged and fired again. She swung her blade and the shot hit him this time. He flinched before firing again. She advanced as she deflected the next shot. He held his ground as he fired faster. She slowly approached him as the bolts bounced to the left and right. His rate of fire increased, as she got closer. He fired one last shot and she tilted her lightsaber and the bolt hit him in the eye. He fell to the ground and the woman stood right behind him.

He was on his hands and knees. She walked to his side and kicked him over. A black burn took his left eye's place. He stared at her with a scowl on his face.

"I know who you are. I know what your plan is assassin. You… you will never find him! The dark lord will return… and he will… seek revenge on those who imprisoned him!" the crippled man shouted, "Hail Sithis!"

"You won't be seeing it, ever," she said before jamming her left lightsaber into the other eye socket.

**Chapter 7: Secrets of a Friend**

Alex twisted the knob and opened the door. Inside the room, were a small table, a small chair, and a large chair connected to multiple wires countless gadgets. Behind the chair stood a female. She wasn't human. She was a race that Alex had never seen before. She was not smiling. She was extremely still.

"Give me you dagger," she commanded, "Now, have a seat." Alex sat down into the chair and she stepped in front of him. She stared at the robotic arm and looked uneasy. Give me your arm." Alex outstretched his robotic arm to her. "Your other hand." Alex put down his robotic arm and gave her his other hand. She yanked of the glove She hooked up several pieces of equipment to Alex. Some of them went of his head, some went around his torso, and some went along his human hand. She sat down in the other chair and activated a holo-screen on the table.

"Just so we're clear… I'm in the correct room right?" Alex asked.

"Yes. You're in the right room," she answered, sounding annoyed.

"And I'm here for an interrogation?"

"Background checks Mr. Eon, background checks," she spoke without looking at him, "I'm going to ask you a series of questions. The chair you're sitting in will tell me if you're telling the truth or not."

"Alright," Alex said, afraid of asking questions.

"First question: What is your name and residence?"

"My name is Alex… Eon, and I… live in an apartment."

"Do you have any family?"

"No, just myself."

"Where did you live before the apartment?"

"Orphanage,"

"You're trapped on a desert island with nothing but a box, what's in the box?"

"Um… a dagger," he said while staring at his dagger in her hand. "I thought these were background questions."

"Next question, you see somebody mugged on the street, what do you do?"

"Report it to the authorities."

"You see a man openly fire in public, you're armed, what do you do?"

"Intimidate him."

"What if he fires at you?"

"Then I'll fire back

"What do you know about the Dark Brotherhood?"

"Nothing."

"Thieves' Guild?"

"Nothing."

"Deathwatch?"

"Nothing"

"Royal Court of Light?"

"I know that everybody there has a weapon called a keyblade."

"Do you know who Sithis is?"

"No."

"What do you know about the purebloods?"

"I know that they are a race of dragons who tried to take over the world." Alex stared into the mirror behind the interrogator. On the other side, Hope Estheim watched through a window. He seemed astonished. As Alex was asked what-would-you-do questions, Hope thought hard. He had a tablet and stylus in his hands and was taking notes. He seemed surprised at his responses. Minutes later, Kuo arrived in the room.

"Anything happen yet?" she asked.

"It's remarkable! He's a heartless yet… he's not… heartless," Hope explained.

"That's interesting," she said.

"He still has emotions, feelings. He has everything a heartless shouldn't have." Kuo looked at Alex through the glass and watched. Seconds later, Ally walked in.

"How's it going Hope?" Ally asked.

"You were right. His responses are completely different than expected," Hope explained while still writing on his tablet. The questions continued.

"Were you ever a soldier?"

"I went to school to become one."

"Do you support the Separatists or Republic?"

"Republic."

"Last question, Mr. Eon: Is Marty Eon alive?" Alex felt his heart skip a beat. He had seen him about a week ago and he begged him not tell anybody that he was alive. "Is he alive?" she spoke louder. Ally saw Alex hesitating and instantly took interest. Alex couldn't just lie, what could he do? She stood up and Alex found an answer.

"Marty… is… not with us," he said nervously.

"What?" she said.

"I said that he's not with us now." She looked at the screen. He was telling the truth. She stared at the screen. She seemed to be glued to it. Alex's forehead was drenched in sweat. She looked back at Alex and spoke.

"Alright, looks like you're finished. Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D.," she said calmly. She unhooked Alex from the chair and gave him his dagger. Ally, Hope, and Kuo left the room and met up with the two of them in the hallway. Ally saw Alex and hugged him. He hugged her back. "Alex is your responsibility, and you're his supervising officer. Understood?"

"Yes. Thank you Director," Ally responded.

"Agent Estheim, Agent Kuo, come with me please," the Director ordered. Ally and Alex went one direction while the others went in an opposite direction.

"So… who was that?" Alex asked.

"That was Director Angela Cross," Ally answered.

"The Director?"

"Yes, she leads our entire operation," Ally explained. They continued to walk.

"How big is this operation exactly?"

"Please hold all questions until the end of the tour, thank you." Alex couldn't help but smile. They walked through multiple laboratories and training rooms. Alex was awe-struck. Everything he saw was incredible. Eventually, they walked into a large room with a massive curved window. On the window, various names were sketched into it.

"What is this?" Alex asked.

"A memorial, these are the names of everybody who has died in the field," Ally answered as Alex glanced at the names. He knew none of these names, except for one. His eye caught a glimpse of a name he knew well, Jacob Thatch: his best friend who had died about a week ago. His best friend… was in S.H.I.E.L.D.? Alex looked behind him and saw Ally talking with somebody. She looked distressed. He kept his attention on the memorial until she walked over to him.

"Come with me," Ally said while gesturing to him.

"Why? What's going on?" Alex asked.

"Listen, I'm sorry but I can't answer all of your questions right now." They walked until they reached a sliding door. Past that, was a small bedroom with a small table and drawers.

"What's this?" Alex asked.

"My quarters, now stay here. I have to take care of something."

"Um… okay," Alex said before she left the room. Alex examined the space around him. It was a lot cleaner than her room at the dojo. What a weird day, Alex answered a few questions and suddenly he became a member of a secret organization. How was Jacob involved? Alex knew it wasn't a coincidence. He had nothing to do for the next five minutes. He laid on the bed and began throwing his non-robotic gauntlet into the air and catching it. However, he threw it too much and it hit a drawer near the door. Alex quickly got up and picked up his glove.

He couldn't help but notice that one of the drawers popped open. He slowly opened it more and peeked inside. It was some sort of video journal. Alex picked it up. He looked outside of the room and then closed the door. He sat down on the bed and turned it on. There were multiple videos on it. Alex clicked on the earliest video and waited for it to start. The screen turned black and a face appeared: Jacob.

"This is Agent Thatch on day one of Operation Twilight. I was told to record my progress on this mission for several months. I am heading for The Greensworth Battle Academy near the other side of the planet. I am looking for an Alex Eon, or Alex Fairview, as he's known there. I was given close to exactly the same schedule as him. I'll have another report by the next day."

"What?" Alex asked as the video ended, "He was monitoring me?" He exited the video and clicked on the next one.

"Day two of Operation: Twilight, I spent today with Alex and he doesn't look troublesome at all. I need to gain his trust and see his true colors. Honestly, I don't see what the problem is. He doesn't look dangerous."

Alex scrolled down and clicked on another video.

"Day thirty-four of Operation: Twilight, I decided to search S.H.I.E.L.D. servers and get the full information about this mission. I found out that Alex was only a sliver of this operation. This information was linked to a file called The Twilight Brothers, so I can only assume that he has a brother."

Alex was stunned. He quickly exited the video and clicked on the next video.

"Day thirty-five of Operation: Twilight, I did some more research and it turns out that these two are black pureblood dragons. They're twins. They were named after their ancestors who were also twins. They attempted to open the gates of hell or something thousands and thousands of years ago. I guess S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks that these new twins will do the same thing."

Alex was filled with so many emotions that he couldn't respond. He skipped a few and clicked on another.

"Day thirty-nine, S.H.I.E.L.D. feels that I've been looking into this too much."

"No," Alex said quietly. He scrolled down violently and clicked on another video.

"Day one hundred and forty-five, I'm being removed from the mission. I'm to let my supervising officer: Rheimer take up the rest of this assignment. She is to look after Alex and keep the truth from him. According to S.H.I.E.L.D., there will be catastrophic consequences if he finds his brother. And Rheimer, I'm sorry about Marty. You told me so much about him. I don't know how he could possibly be a part of this prophecy. I was told to head back to Providence on planet Utapau. But first, I have a dance to get to. This is Agent Thatch signing off." That was the last video on it.

"As you know, he never made it to the dance," spoke a female voice in the doorway. Alex looked up and saw Ally standing there.

"You lied to me. You didn't tell me he was my brother," Alex said angrily.

"I wasn't allowed to," Ally defended.

"How could I have been so stupid… cloning him, time travel?"

"Listen, it's not what you—"

"No, I understand perfectly!" Alex shouted before forcing his way out of the room.

"Alex!" she yelled as he stormed off. Alex stared at the floor as walked down the hall, clueless as where to go. Ally sighed and walked back into her room. He finally looked up in time to run into Agent Kuo who was working on her tablet. She dropped and she bent down to get it.

"I'm sorry," Alex apologized.

"It's alright," she said while getting up and straightening her hair. Alex saw a strange and familiar symbol on her neck. It was a red handprint. She noticed his gaze. His heart skipped a beat. Alex slowly started walking back towards Ally's room. She dropped the tablet and followed Alex. She took her gloves off of her hands. They generated cold steam. Alex barged into Ally's room and she stood up, happy to see him. However she saw his face and looked concerned.

"Kuo's with the people who killed Spyro.

22 | Page


	4. CH 3: Aftermath

**Chapter 3: Aftermath**

Alex stood up pressing his fingers against his check. Warm blood ran down his face as he stared into the night sky. He looked and looked and looked for Cynder, but all he could see were stars. He stared back at the others and Alex knew exactly what they were thinking. Was it really his fault? What'll happen to Cynder? Alex asked himself the same questions. They were just as surprised as he was. There was a long period of silence before Terrador spoke.

"Come, let's go inside." Ally and Alex hopped onto Terrador as they flew off back towards the dojo. Alex couldn't believe what just happened. Did Spyro really die right in front of him? Was it another one of Vaermina's tricks? He looked at Ally in front of him. He gently tapped on her armored shoulder. She turned around in response.

"Was she… was she really going to kill me?" Alex asked.

"Who, Cynder?" she replied. He nodded. She sighed. "I don't know. But… if it was anything like when I lost Marty, then yes. I believe she may have.

"It's just that… I saw her eyes glowing white and her skin looked darker," Alex observed.

"She's letting her emotions take over. The last time she almost lost Spyro… the results were catastrophic," Ally explained. The two fell silent as they approached the dojo. They landed and Ally and Alex got off of Terrador.

"I'm going to go get Spyro so that we can give him a proper farewell," He spoke weakly before flying back towards the woods. Cyril also flew into the woods to extinguish the flames. Ally trudged of into her room and Alex went to look for the others. He heard sobbing coming from a bedroom and Alex gently leaned against the wall to listen. It was Ember sobbing. Volteer tried his best to comfort her, but he couldn't. Then, Flame spoke.

"Everything is going to be okay."

"I just wish… I could tell him that I loved him," Ember spoke through tears.

"I know. I know." Alex couldn't stand this anymore. This _really_ was his fault. He slowly trudged to his room and collapsed onto his bed. He stared at the blank ceiling. He stared and stared until his eyes were forced shut and he fell asleep.

Outside, Ally sat near the top of the dojo and looked at the bright stars. Small tears trickled down her face. There was nothing but silence until she saw a silhouette fly across the moon and land in the woods below her. Her keyblade appeared in Ally's right hand and she dropped herself below. After a few seconds, she disappeared in a white light and appeared again on the ground. She ran in the direction of the silhouette for several minutes. It led her to an open hill, the same hill Spyro and Cynder would go to every day to watch the sun set. She saw Cynder lying there alone. The sun slowly began to rise as she layed motionless.

Ally felt that much better, knowing that Cynder was all right. She summoned a portal and disappeared right before a dragonfly flew over to the hill that Cynder was on.

"Phew! There you are. I've been looking for you and Spyro forever," Sparx spoke, oblivious to Cynder's crying, "Where is Spyro?" Cynder turned her head and faced Sparx. He saw tears flooding her eyes.

At the dojo, Alex woke up hours later. It was quiet. Alex stared out of his window and saw the sun high in the sky. He walked out of his room and began searching for the others. He walked down the silent hallway until he reached the training room. He heard voices from inside and carefully opened the door. He left just a crack of space as he peeked inside. It was a ritual. The elders, Flame, and Ember stood around the stone dragon. They all offered prayers to Spyro. He couldn't believe that they started without him. They didn't want him.

That was the final act that broke him. He couldn't take this anymore. This _was_ his fault. He had to leave… now. He rushed back to his room, grabbed his satchel and dagger, and ran to Ally's room. Her room was messy. Papers and tools were scattered across a desk and the floor. His hands fumbled on the floor as he struggled to find a book. He found it. He found the same kind of book that Nelsine used to take him to Ignitus. However, he forgot one important component: a keyblade. He kneeled on the floor with the book in his hands.

"I'll help you," spoke a voice from behind him. He quickly turned around and saw Nelsine.

"I thought you would be attending the ritual," Alex spoke quickly.

"I don't deserve to offer prayer," she explained. Alex stood up and held the book towards Nelsine. A black keyblade appeared in her right hand and she pointed it at the book. A keyhole-shaped light appeared on the cover of the book. Nelsine thrust her hand forward and impaled the book. It disappeared and a large ball of light was left on the tip of her keyblade. She pointed the keyblade past Alex and towards the wall. The light shot out and turned into a small doorway of light. Alex looked at the light, then looked back at Nelsine.

"I'm sorry. I've been such a jerk recently. So much of one that Spyro's gone now," Alex said softly.

"It's not your fault. It never was."

"Thanks Nelsine." Alex walked through the light as it dissipated. Nelsine hung her head low.

"It was my fault."

Alex walked out of the light and was almost blinded. He held his hand in front of his eyes to adjust. When he removed it, he saw a familiar sight. He saw a clear sky with speeders flying across it. He breathed in the city air and smiled. He was home. He was back on Corouscant. Hopefully, he could forget about what had happened. He looked behind him and saw a door. He looked in front of him and saw a green field with multiple chairs and tables. It was the library's back patio.

He looked behind him and saw the library. He walked back inside and walked outside to the front of the library. He saw three black dropships land several meters away from him. About twenty men in black suits approached him. He backed up slowly, but they persisted. They stopped in front of him and a woman began to speak. She had pale-white skin and dark blue hair.

"Alex?"

"Yes?"

"I'm agent Lucy Kuo with S.H.I.E.L.D. We need you to come with us."

**Chapter 4: Time of Dying**

"My lady, he is beginning to wake."

"Excellent. Is he capable of fighting?"

"As long as he is properly trained, he shall be ready."

"Thank you Calcemo. You may leave."

"As you wish my lady." Those were the only words he heard. He struggled to get up. He forced his heavy eyes open. He flexed his wings, weakly. He slowly steadied himself on all four of his legs. His tail dragged limply on the ground as he examined his surroundings. He was in a dark chamber full of miscellaneous tools and weapons. It was very dark and a face of disgust appeared on his face.

"This place is not to my liking as well." He whipped his head around and saw a mysterious woman in a bright white robe.

"Where am I?" he asked, "I thought I was dead."

"You are… young purple dragon," the woman spoke.

"How? Where-?"

"You are in Oblivion. And you have been chosen to participate in this year's Fight for Rebirth, Spyro," she explained.

"The last time I woke up and was forced to fight, it didn't go well," Spyro said.

"Last time, you were chained to another dragon," she replied. Spyro breathed in shallowly and spoke again.

"How did you know?"

"I am a daedric lord. I am Meridia. I have seen you in combat. You fight with courage and purpose."

"Why do you want me to compete?" Spyro asked.

"Because if you prove to be victorious, your soul shall return to the living," she explained. Spyro felt as though his heart had skipped a beat. If he could come back, if he could be with Cynder again, it would be worth it. But he felt obliged to find Marty. He may also be in this competition.

"Why? How does this benefit you?"

"I will not have the burden of caring for souls in my plane for a year." Spyro never learned much about Oblivion and the daedra, but this didn't sound too much of a reward for them.

"What do I have to do?" Spyro asked.

"It is simple. You must destroy the soul gems of the other competitors," she answered.

"You're… not asking me to kill them?" Spyro asked, confused.

"Your soul is already in Oblivion. You cannot die here," she explained.

"Why do I have to destroy these gems?"

"These gems contain the souls of the fighters. They were sealed there by the daedric lords. You still are able to feel pain, however. If you lose your gem, if it is destroyed, you shall not return. You will stay here… imprisoned." Spyro took some time to think. The stakes were high, but he had no choice. He had to compete.

"When is the fight?"

"It takes place in six days time. You have until then to train."

"Then let's begin."

**Chapter 5: S.H.I.E.L.D**

Aboard one of the dropships, Alex felt nervous. He didn't know who these people were or what they wanted with him. He sat in a very soft leather seat with armored men on both sides of him. They held blaster rifles that he had not seen before. The woman with the dark blue hair sat right across from him. She sat cross-legged with her hands over her lap. She stared intently at him.

"You don't need to tense up so much," she told Alex calmly.

"I'm sorry but I'm not used to being kidnapped," Alex replied.

"Kidnapped? We just want to ask you questions." Alex gave her a stare just as intent as hers.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked.

"Somewhere safe," she replied.

"Safe? Safe from what?" he asked. No response.

"Tell me."

"No, not here." Alex was frustrated. He was tired of getting no answers.

"There will be a familiar face there, however," she added. He didn't respond. He saw three of his friends murdered in less than a month. After what he did today, Alex was certain there were no more friendly faces, not for him. After a long silence, they softly hit the ground and Alex was escorted out of the vehicle. The three dropships took to the skies behind him.

"If I was in that ship, what were in the others?" Alex asked.

"Extra men. We had to take precautions," she answered. Alex didn't believe her for a second, but what was in front of him forced him to forget that. It was a massive complex with buildings stretching higher than the skyscrapers. It was amazing. He approached a small building that had a large insignia above an even larger door. The insignia was an eagle within a circle. Around the circle stood the words: Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. He stood still for a few seconds but was forced on with the butt of a rifle in his back.

He looked back at the rifle and saw that it looked like a standard-issue blaster rifle used by The Republic with a few modifications here and there.

He noticed that he had four rifles pointed at him as he entered the building. The interior was just as nice as the outside. Everybody inside was wearing a black suit and pressing their fingers against some sort of holographic device. They began approaching a large round desk.

"What are you doing?" spoke a familiar voice. Alex flung his head forward and saw a young woman in a very formal suit. He saw Ally. She walked up to them.

"Put down your weapons. That's an order," Ally said.

"My mistake Agent Rheimer. S.H.I.E.L.D protocol," the woman with dark blue hair replied, "Put down your weapons." Ally hugged Alex for a few seconds and Alex hugged back.

"How are you doing?" she asked him.

"I cannot catch a break," Alex replied.

"Welcome to my life," she said. They both smiled intently before Alex spoke again.

"So, why am I here exactly?"

"Hopefully it won't take long. We just need to ask you some questions. And I'll be the one doing that," she answered.

"With all due respect Agent Rheimer, the director said that she would be interrogating him personally," spoke the other agent.

"Director Cross?"

"Yes ser." Ally looked around at the mass of people and saw one.

"Agent Estheim!" Ally called out. A man with spiky white hair looked around him. Ally signaled him to come over and he slowly jogged. He approached them and seemed surprised to see Alex, but kept his attention towards Ally.

"Hope, can you take Alex here to Director Cross?" Ally asked the man.

"Of course Agent Rheimer," he replied.

"Excellent. Kuo, come with me please." Kuo nodded her head and her men left the building. The four of them separated, with Agent Kuo and Ally walking in one direction and Alex and the white-haired man in another direction. Ally waited until they were out of earshot from the others and then spoke to Agent Kuo.

"I thought the director said that I was to talk to him."

"She has strict orders from the council to interrogate him herself." Ally looked very concerned.

"I wouldn't worry about him. His kind did try to destroy their world," Kuo told her.

"All of you are the same. Not all dragons are evil," Ally scowled.

"He's not a dragon. He's a heartless," she scowled back.

"It doesn't matter. She shouldn't be talking to him."

"I realize that this is a sore subject, but he isn't Marty." Ally gave her a look of disgust.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she said while walking towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Agent Kuo asked her.

"There's something I have to do."

Meanwhile, Alex and the white-haired man walked down a narrow hallway. Alex felt as if he had seen him before. He stared at him, while trying not to be rude. The man caught a glimpse of him staring and spoke.

"I understand if there's confusion."

"You have no idea," Alex replied. The feeling bugged him. He felt like he had seen this man before. Then he remembered. He saw him in a dream about two weeks ago. In the dream, the man was handing him a strange object. He looked like a good friend in the dream. Alex felt like he could trust him.

"Do you know a man named Marty?" Alex asked.

"Yes. Yes I do. We were very good friends," he answered.

"Really? How did you know him?" Alex asked.

"Well, I'm not from this realm; I'm from another entire world. We were experiencing time anomalies and an experiment of ours took me to another realm, rather than another time," he explained.

"You were attempting time-travel?" Alex asked.

"Not the best action, I'll admit, but we were desperate. Anyways, I was taken to a small world of—"

"Dragons," Alex finished.

"Yes. I encountered Spyro and Cynder. I arrived a few months later than Marty and Ally did. Marty, Spyro, and I became good friends who fought well together."

"Why does everybody get sent to Spyro's world?" Alex asked, struggling to say his name.

"All of these realms are connected together, like a web. Think of it as… a funnel. And Spyro's realm is near the center," Hope explained.

"What's at the exact center?" Alex asked.

"Oblivion," he answered. Hope stopped walking and Alex stood still next to him. They stopped in front of a small black door.

"This is it. Good luck," Hope said before leaving. Alex walked to the door and slowly twisted the knob.

**Chapter 6: The Assassin**

Meanwhile, Ally had returned to the hill that Cynder laid on grieving. Ally was still in her uniform. Her hair rested upon her shoulders as she breathed in deeply. Ally hid behind a bush as Cynder rested on the hill. She debated whether to talk to her or not. She decided to. She forced herself out of the bush and slowly walked towards her. Ally ran every possibility of what would happen and developed a strategy to help her. Eventually, She was right behind her. Cynder could hear Ally's footsteps.

"What is it?" Cynder asked.

"I came to check on you," Ally answered.

"Thanks, but I'm fine." Ally sat down next to her.

"Listen, you need to come back. The Elders are worried about you."

"I can't come back. Leave me alone."

"If you're worried about Alex, he's gone."

"He is?"

"I know what you're going through and I realize that you want to be alone, but the worst thing for you now is isolation."

"You don't know how I feel," Cynder said quietly.

"I lost Marty. I do know," Ally reminded her. Cynder said nothing and Ally stood up and began to walk down the hill. She stood still in her tracks. "Just don't make the same mistake I did."

"And what was that?" Cynder asked.

"Thinking that I lost my only friend in the world," Ally answered. She started walking down the hill again. Cynder laid still on the hill as Ally walked away. She eventually disappeared and Cynder's head was brimming with thoughts. They were interrupted when she heard a familiar voice. She quickly stood up and examined the world around her. The voice was a faint whisper. She heard her name.

"Cynder," the voice spoke again, louder this time. Cynder whipped her head around several times before finding the voice's owner. It belonged to a purple dragon with yellowish-orange horns. Off in the distance, she saw Spyro. He walked into the woods and Cynder followed him by air. She got deep into the forest when she lost Spyro. She looked around and saw him again. She looked into his eyes and Spyro looked into her eyes.

"Spyro? Is that… really you?" Cynder muttered.

"Of course it is," Spyro spoke caringly.

"But how?" she asked, struggling to hold back tears.

"I had to fight. I was able to return when I won," Spyro explained.

"I… I still can't believe it's you."

"Neither can I," spoke a third voice. Cynder looked around her and examined every tree. Then, she turned her attention back to Spyro. He was smiling mischievously. Cynder gasped has Spyro glimmered and faded into nothingness.

"No!" Cynder shouted. A man appeared out of the darkness. He had long black hair and green and gold armor. Cynder growled at him.

"Did you honestly fall for that?" the man spoke.

"Who are you?" Cynder asked through gritted teeth.

"I am Loki of Jotenheim," he answered.

"What do you want?"

"Quite simple my darling… you," he answered.

"Why? Why do you want me?" she asked.

"You should be thanking me, seeing as how dragons of purple scales have treated your kind in the past," he said to her.

"What do you mean?" Cynder asked while circling him, "How do you know about hi?" He laughed.

"Surely you must be aware of the purebloods' history."

"They were the original dragons. They were the ancient ones. Eventually, they evolved into us," Cynder recalled.

"Young dragoness how wrong you are. Granted they are ancient, but no evolution took place."

"Why am I even talking to you? You're just spitting out lies!" she shouted. He laughed again.

"You remind me of your mother. So much anger. Very powerful."

"What? You knew her? That's impossible! You couldn't have known her!"

"Oh but I did. I saw her in battle. I saw a pureblood dragon with purple scales rip off her wings." He gradually raised his voice. "I saw her blood splatter in every direction!" He slowly approached her. "I saw her black scales litter the ground around her. I saw her cry out in pain! I saw tears in her eyes! "

"No! No you're lying!"

"She screamed as loud as she could, but nobody helped her. She was left to die! I saw her legs torn apart! I saw her body in shambles!" he approached her closer as Cynder stood frozen. "Do you know whose fault it is? Do you know who's to blame? It's his kind! It's their fault!" Loki shouted while flailing his hand towards her back. "All they do is take the ones they love from you." Cynder winced and staggered. She felt her mind go blank. She fell to the ground, unconscious. Loki stared at her confused. Then he saw a small metal object in her wing.

"Sorry, your speech was taking too long," spoke a male voice above him. "Was all that drama necessary?"

"It will benefit us. Even as we speak, she thinks about what she has just heard now," Loki explained. He looked at the man. He wore metallic armor and a jet pack rested on his shoulders. His face was hidden behind his helmet.

"Are you sure this is the one?" the man asked.

"I am. Hopefully, she'll make Eon more cooperative if necessary. Why? Do you not have faith in me?"

"I put faith into no one sir," he spoke bravely.

"You've learned well." Loki pulled a black stone from his pocket and held it open. It hovered in the air for a few seconds before shattering. A swirling portal took place of the stone shards and Loki threw Cynder over his shoulders. "Watch over them. Make sure that they do acquire Alex."

"Yes sir!" Loki disappeared through the portal with Cynder. The man in mandalorian armor looked around him. He removed his helmet and felt the few small rays of sunshine on his face. He placed his left hand on a holster concealing a small commando pistol. He grabbed the pistol flung his hand behind him. He looked and saw a mysterious warrior. He could tell it was a female by her build. The armor was dark yet simple. Her helmet had three small spikes erupting from the chin area. She grabbed two small cylinders and black light shot out and formed a point: black light sabers. She appeared to be a sith stalker. However, the man felt confident.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" he asked.

"When is nothing allowed?" she asked in response.

"I don't know, when there's a sign?"

"When all is permitted," she answered. He shot once as the woman twisted her hand and deflected it with her light saber. He shot again and she returned it back to him. He dodged and fired again. She swung her blade and the shot hit him this time. He flinched before firing again. She advanced as she deflected the next shot. He held his ground as he fired faster. She slowly approached him as the bolts bounced to the left and right. His rate of fire increased, as she got closer. He fired one last shot and she tilted her lightsaber and the bolt hit him in the eye. He fell to the ground and the woman stood right behind him.

He was on his hands and knees. She walked to his side and kicked him over. A black burn took his left eye's place. He stared at her with a scowl on his face.

"I know who you are. I know what your plan is assassin. You… you will never find him! The dark lord will return… and he will… seek revenge on those who imprisoned him!" the crippled man shouted, "Hail Sithis!"

"You won't be seeing it, ever," she said before jamming her left lightsaber into the other eye socket.

**Chapter 7: Secrets of a Friend**

Alex twisted the knob and opened the door. Inside the room, were a small table, a small chair, and a large chair connected to multiple wires countless gadgets. Behind the chair stood a female. She wasn't human. She was a race that Alex had never seen before. She was not smiling. She was extremely still.

"Give me you dagger," she commanded, "Now, have a seat." Alex sat down into the chair and she stepped in front of him. She stared at the robotic arm and looked uneasy. Give me your arm." Alex outstretched his robotic arm to her. "Your other hand." Alex put down his robotic arm and gave her his other hand. She yanked of the glove She hooked up several pieces of equipment to Alex. Some of them went of his head, some went around his torso, and some went along his human hand. She sat down in the other chair and activated a holo-screen on the table.

"Just so we're clear… I'm in the correct room right?" Alex asked.

"Yes. You're in the right room," she answered, sounding annoyed.

"And I'm here for an interrogation?"

"Background checks Mr. Eon, background checks," she spoke without looking at him, "I'm going to ask you a series of questions. The chair you're sitting in will tell me if you're telling the truth or not."

"Alright," Alex said, afraid of asking questions.

"First question: What is your name and residence?"

"My name is Alex… Eon, and I… live in an apartment."

"Do you have any family?"

"No, just myself."

"Where did you live before the apartment?"

"Orphanage,"

"You're trapped on a desert island with nothing but a box, what's in the box?"

"Um… a dagger," he said while staring at his dagger in her hand. "I thought these were background questions."

"Next question, you see somebody mugged on the street, what do you do?"

"Report it to the authorities."

"You see a man openly fire in public, you're armed, what do you do?"

"Intimidate him."

"What if he fires at you?"

"Then I'll fire back

"What do you know about the Dark Brotherhood?"

"Nothing."

"Thieves' Guild?"

"Nothing."

"Deathwatch?"

"Nothing"

"Royal Court of Light?"

"I know that everybody there has a weapon called a keyblade."

"Do you know who Sithis is?"

"No."

"What do you know about the purebloods?"

"I know that they are a race of dragons who tried to take over the world." Alex stared into the mirror behind the interrogator. On the other side, Hope Estheim watched through a window. He seemed astonished. As Alex was asked what-would-you-do questions, Hope thought hard. He had a tablet and stylus in his hands and was taking notes. He seemed surprised at his responses. Minutes later, Kuo arrived in the room.

"Anything happen yet?" she asked.

"It's remarkable! He's a heartless yet… he's not… heartless," Hope explained.

"That's interesting," she said.

"He still has emotions, feelings. He has everything a heartless shouldn't have." Kuo looked at Alex through the glass and watched. Seconds later, Ally walked in.

"How's it going Hope?" Ally asked.

"You were right. His responses are completely different than expected," Hope explained while still writing on his tablet. The questions continued.

"Were you ever a soldier?"

"I went to school to become one."

"Do you support the Separatists or Republic?"

"Republic."

"Last question, Mr. Eon: Is Marty Eon alive?" Alex felt his heart skip a beat. He had seen him about a week ago and he begged him not tell anybody that he was alive. "Is he alive?" she spoke louder. Ally saw Alex hesitating and instantly took interest. Alex couldn't just lie, what could he do? She stood up and Alex found an answer.

"Marty… is… not with us," he said nervously.

"What?" she said.

"I said that he's not with us now." She looked at the screen. He was telling the truth. She stared at the screen. She seemed to be glued to it. Alex's forehead was drenched in sweat. She looked back at Alex and spoke.

"Alright, looks like you're finished. Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D.," she said calmly. She unhooked Alex from the chair and gave him his dagger. Ally, Hope, and Kuo left the room and met up with the two of them in the hallway. Ally saw Alex and hugged him. He hugged her back. "Alex is your responsibility, and you're his supervising officer. Understood?"

"Yes. Thank you Director," Ally responded.

"Agent Estheim, Agent Kuo, come with me please," the Director ordered. Ally and Alex went one direction while the others went in an opposite direction.

"So… who was that?" Alex asked.

"That was Director Angela Cross," Ally answered.

"The Director?"

"Yes, she leads our entire operation," Ally explained. They continued to walk.

"How big is this operation exactly?"

"Please hold all questions until the end of the tour, thank you." Alex couldn't help but smile. They walked through multiple laboratories and training rooms. Alex was awe-struck. Everything he saw was incredible. Eventually, they walked into a large room with a massive curved window. On the window, various names were sketched into it.

"What is this?" Alex asked.

"A memorial, these are the names of everybody who has died in the field," Ally answered as Alex glanced at the names. He knew none of these names, except for one. His eye caught a glimpse of a name he knew well, Jacob Thatch: his best friend who had died about a week ago. His best friend… was in S.H.I.E.L.D.? Alex looked behind him and saw Ally talking with somebody. She looked distressed. He kept his attention on the memorial until she walked over to him.

"Come with me," Ally said while gesturing to him.

"Why? What's going on?" Alex asked.

"Listen, I'm sorry but I can't answer all of your questions right now." They walked until they reached a sliding door. Past that, was a small bedroom with a small table and drawers.

"What's this?" Alex asked.

"My quarters, now stay here. I have to take care of something."

"Um… okay," Alex said before she left the room. Alex examined the space around him. It was a lot cleaner than her room at the dojo. What a weird day, Alex answered a few questions and suddenly he became a member of a secret organization. How was Jacob involved? Alex knew it wasn't a coincidence. He had nothing to do for the next five minutes. He laid on the bed and began throwing his non-robotic gauntlet into the air and catching it. However, he threw it too much and it hit a drawer near the door. Alex quickly got up and picked up his glove.

He couldn't help but notice that one of the drawers popped open. He slowly opened it more and peeked inside. It was some sort of video journal. Alex picked it up. He looked outside of the room and then closed the door. He sat down on the bed and turned it on. There were multiple videos on it. Alex clicked on the earliest video and waited for it to start. The screen turned black and a face appeared: Jacob.

"This is Agent Thatch on day one of Operation Twilight. I was told to record my progress on this mission for several months. I am heading for The Greensworth Battle Academy near the other side of the planet. I am looking for an Alex Eon, or Alex Fairview, as he's known there. I was given close to exactly the same schedule as him. I'll have another report by the next day."

"What?" Alex asked as the video ended, "He was monitoring me?" He exited the video and clicked on the next one.

"Day two of Operation: Twilight, I spent today with Alex and he doesn't look troublesome at all. I need to gain his trust and see his true colors. Honestly, I don't see what the problem is. He doesn't look dangerous."

Alex scrolled down and clicked on another video.

"Day thirty-four of Operation: Twilight, I decided to search S.H.I.E.L.D. servers and get the full information about this mission. I found out that Alex was only a sliver of this operation. This information was linked to a file called The Twilight Brothers, so I can only assume that he has a brother."

Alex was stunned. He quickly exited the video and clicked on the next video.

"Day thirty-five of Operation: Twilight, I did some more research and it turns out that these two are black pureblood dragons. They're twins. They were named after their ancestors who were also twins. They attempted to open the gates of hell or something thousands and thousands of years ago. I guess S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks that these new twins will do the same thing."

Alex was filled with so many emotions that he couldn't respond. He skipped a few and clicked on another.

"Day thirty-nine, S.H.I.E.L.D. feels that I've been looking into this too much."

"No," Alex said quietly. He scrolled down violently and clicked on another video.

"Day one hundred and forty-five, I'm being removed from the mission. I'm to let my supervising officer: Rheimer take up the rest of this assignment. She is to look after Alex and keep the truth from him. According to S.H.I.E.L.D., there will be catastrophic consequences if he finds his brother. And Rheimer, I'm sorry about Marty. You told me so much about him. I don't know how he could possibly be a part of this prophecy. I was told to head back to Providence on planet Utapau. But first, I have a dance to get to. This is Agent Thatch signing off." That was the last video on it.

"As you know, he never made it to the dance," spoke a female voice in the doorway. Alex looked up and saw Ally standing there.

"You lied to me. You didn't tell me he was my brother," Alex said angrily.

"I wasn't allowed to," Ally defended.

"How could I have been so stupid… cloning him, time travel?"

"Listen, it's not what you—"

"No, I understand perfectly!" Alex shouted before forcing his way out of the room.

"Alex!" she yelled as he stormed off. Alex stared at the floor as walked down the hall, clueless as where to go. Ally sighed and walked back into her room. He finally looked up in time to run into Agent Kuo who was working on her tablet. She dropped and she bent down to get it.

"I'm sorry," Alex apologized.

"It's alright," she said while getting up and straightening her hair. Alex saw a strange and familiar symbol on her neck. It was a red handprint. She noticed his gaze. His heart skipped a beat. Alex slowly started walking back towards Ally's room. She dropped the tablet and followed Alex. She took her gloves off of her hands. They generated cold steam. Alex barged into Ally's room and she stood up, happy to see him. However she saw his face and looked concerned.

"Kuo's with the people who killed Spyro.

15 | Page


	5. CH 4: Time of Dying

**Chapter 4: Time of Dying**

"My lady, he is beginning to wake."

"Excellent. Is he capable of fighting?"

"As long as he is properly trained, he shall be ready."

"Thank you Calcemo. You may leave."

"As you wish my lady." Those were the only words he heard. He struggled to get up. He forced his heavy eyes open. He flexed his wings, weakly. He slowly steadied himself on all four of his legs. His tail dragged limply on the ground as he examined his surroundings. He was in a dark chamber full of miscellaneous tools and weapons. It was very dark and a face of disgust appeared on his face.

"This place is not to my liking as well." He whipped his head around and saw a mysterious woman in a bright white robe.

"Where am I?" he asked, "I thought I was dead."

"You are… young purple dragon," the woman spoke.

"How? Where-?"

"You are in Oblivion. And you have been chosen to participate in this year's Fight for Rebirth, Spyro," she explained.

"The last time I woke up and was forced to fight, it didn't go well," Spyro said.

"Last time, you were chained to another dragon," she replied. Spyro breathed in shallowly and spoke again.

"How did you know?"

"I am a daedric lord. I am Meridia. I have seen you in combat. You fight with courage and purpose."

"Why do you want me to compete?" Spyro asked.

"Because if you prove to be victorious, your soul shall return to the living," she explained. Spyro felt as though his heart had skipped a beat. If he could come back, if he could be with Cynder again, it would be worth it. But he felt obliged to find Marty. He may also be in this competition.

"Why? How does this benefit you?"

"I will not have the burden of caring for souls in my plane for a year." Spyro never learned much about Oblivion and the daedra, but this didn't sound too much of a reward for them.

"What do I have to do?" Spyro asked.

"It is simple. You must destroy the soul gems of the other competitors," she answered.

"You're… not asking me to kill them?" Spyro asked, confused.

"Your soul is already in Oblivion. You cannot die here," she explained.

"Why do I have to destroy these gems?"

"These gems contain the souls of the fighters. They were sealed there by the daedric lords. You still are able to feel pain, however. If you lose your gem, if it is destroyed, you shall not return. You will stay here… imprisoned." Spyro took some time to think. The stakes were high, but he had no choice. He had to compete.

"When is the fight?"

"It takes place in six days time. You have until then to train."

"Then let's begin."


	6. CH 5: SHIELD

**Chapter 5: S.H.I.E.L.D.**

Aboard one of the dropships, Alex felt nervous. He didn't know who these people were or what they wanted with him. He sat in a very soft leather seat with armored men on both sides of him. They held blaster rifles that he had not seen before. The woman with the dark blue hair sat right across from him. She sat cross-legged with her hands over her lap. She stared intently at him.

"You don't need to tense up so much," she told Alex calmly.

"I'm sorry but I'm not used to being kidnapped," Alex replied.

"Kidnapped? We just want to ask you questions." Alex gave her a stare just as intent as hers.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked.

"Somewhere safe," she replied.

"Safe? Safe from what?" he asked. No response.

"Tell me."

"No, not here." Alex was frustrated. He was tired of getting no answers.

"There will be a familiar face there, however," she added. He didn't respond. He saw three of his friends murdered in less than a month. After what he did today, Alex was certain there were no more friendly faces, not for him. After a long silence, they softly hit the ground and Alex was escorted out of the vehicle. The three dropships took to the skies behind him.

"If I was in that ship, what were in the others?" Alex asked.

"Extra men. We had to take precautions," she answered. Alex didn't believe her for a second, but what was in front of him forced him to forget that. It was a massive complex with buildings stretching higher than the skyscrapers. It was amazing. He approached a small building that had a large insignia above an even larger door. The insignia was an eagle within a circle. Around the circle stood the words: Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. He stood still for a few seconds but was forced on with the butt of a rifle in his back.

He looked back at the rifle and saw that it looked like a standard-issue blaster rifle used by The Republic with a few modifications here and there.

He noticed that he had four rifles pointed at him as he entered the building. The interior was just as nice as the outside. Everybody inside was wearing a black suit and pressing their fingers against some sort of holographic device. They began approaching a large round desk.

"What are you doing?" spoke a familiar voice. Alex flung his head forward and saw a young woman in a very formal suit. He saw Ally. She walked up to them.

"Put down your weapons. That's an order," Ally said.

"My mistake Agent Rheimer. S.H.I.E.L.D protocol," the woman with dark blue hair replied, "Put down your weapons." Ally hugged Alex for a few seconds and Alex hugged back.

"How are you doing?" she asked him.

"I cannot catch a break," Alex replied.

"Welcome to my life," she said. They both smiled intently before Alex spoke again.

"So, why am I here exactly?"

"Hopefully it won't take long. We just need to ask you some questions. And I'll be the one doing that," she answered.

"With all due respect Agent Rheimer, the director said that she would be interrogating him personally," spoke the other agent.

"Director Cross?"

"Yes ser." Ally looked around at the mass of people and saw one.

"Agent Estheim!" Ally called out. A man with spiky white hair looked around him. Ally signaled him to come over and he slowly jogged. He approached them and seemed surprised to see Alex, but kept his attention towards Ally.

"Hope, can you take Alex here to Director Cross?" Ally asked the man.

"Of course Agent Rheimer," he replied.

"Excellent. Kuo, come with me please." Kuo nodded her head and her men left the building. The four of them separated, with Agent Kuo and Ally walking in one direction and Alex and the white-haired man in another direction. Ally waited until they were out of earshot from the others and then spoke to Agent Kuo.

"I thought the director said that I was to talk to him."

"She has strict orders from the council to interrogate him herself." Ally looked very concerned.

"I wouldn't worry about him. His kind did try to destroy their world," Kuo told her.

"All of you are the same. Not all dragons are evil," Ally scowled.

"He's not a dragon. He's a heartless," she scowled back.

"It doesn't matter. She shouldn't be talking to him."

"I realize that this is a sore subject, but he isn't Marty." Ally gave her a look of disgust.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she said while walking towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Agent Kuo asked her.

"There's something I have to do."

Meanwhile, Alex and the white-haired man walked down a narrow hallway. Alex felt as if he had seen him before. He stared at him, while trying not to be rude. The man caught a glimpse of him staring and spoke.

"I understand if there's confusion."

"You have no idea," Alex replied. The feeling bugged him. He felt like he had seen this man before. Then he remembered. He saw him in a dream about two weeks ago. In the dream, the man was handing him a strange object. He looked like a good friend in the dream. Alex felt like he could trust him.

"Do you know a man named Marty?" Alex asked.

"Yes. Yes I do. We were very good friends," he answered.

"Really? How did you know him?" Alex asked.

"Well, I'm not from this realm; I'm from another entire world. We were experiencing time anomalies and an experiment of ours took me to another realm, rather than another time," he explained.

"You were attempting time-travel?" Alex asked.

"Not the best action, I'll admit, but we were desperate. Anyways, I was taken to a small world of—"

"Dragons," Alex finished.

"Yes. I encountered Spyro and Cynder. I arrived a few months later than Marty and Ally did. Marty, Spyro, and I became good friends who fought well together."

"Why does everybody get sent to Spyro's world?" Alex asked, struggling to say his name.

"All of these realms are connected together, like a web. Think of it as… a funnel. And Spyro's realm is near the center," Hope explained.

"What's at the exact center?" Alex asked.

"Oblivion," he answered. Hope stopped walking and Alex stood still next to him. They stopped in front of a small black door.

"This is it. Good luck," Hope said before leaving. Alex walked to the door and slowly twisted the knob.


	7. CH 6: The Assassin

**Chapter 6: The Assassin**

Meanwhile, Ally had returned to the hill that Cynder laid on grieving. Ally was still in her uniform. Her hair rested upon her shoulders as she breathed in deeply. Ally hid behind a bush as Cynder rested on the hill. She debated whether to talk to her or not. She decided to. She forced herself out of the bush and slowly walked towards her. Ally ran every possibility of what would happen and developed a strategy to help her. Eventually, She was right behind her. Cynder could hear Ally's footsteps.

"What is it?" Cynder asked.

"I came to check on you," Ally answered.

"Thanks, but I'm fine." Ally sat down next to her.

"Listen, you need to come back. The Elders are worried about you."

"I can't come back. Leave me alone."

"If you're worried about Alex, he's gone."

"He is?"

"I know what you're going through and I realize that you want to be alone, but the worst thing for you now is isolation."

"You don't know how I feel," Cynder said quietly.

"I lost Marty. I do know," Ally reminded her. Cynder said nothing and Ally stood up and began to walk down the hill. She stood still in her tracks. "Just don't make the same mistake I did."

"And what was that?" Cynder asked.

"Thinking that I lost my only friend in the world," Ally answered. She started walking down the hill again. Cynder laid still on the hill as Ally walked away. She eventually disappeared and Cynder's head was brimming with thoughts. They were interrupted when she heard a familiar voice. She quickly stood up and examined the world around her. The voice was a faint whisper. She heard her name.

"Cynder," the voice spoke again, louder this time. Cynder whipped her head around several times before finding the voice's owner. It belonged to a purple dragon with yellowish-orange horns. Off in the distance, she saw Spyro. He walked into the woods and Cynder followed him by air. She got deep into the forest when she lost Spyro. She looked around and saw him again. She looked into his eyes and Spyro looked into her eyes.

"Spyro? Is that… really you?" Cynder muttered.

"Of course it is," Spyro spoke caringly.

"But how?" she asked, struggling to hold back tears.

"I had to fight. I was able to return when I won," Spyro explained.

"I… I still can't believe it's you."

"Neither can I," spoke a third voice. Cynder looked around her and examined every tree. Then, she turned her attention back to Spyro. He was smiling mischievously. Cynder gasped has Spyro glimmered and faded into nothingness.

"No!" Cynder shouted. A man appeared out of the darkness. He had long black hair and green and gold armor. Cynder growled at him.

"Did you honestly fall for that?" the man spoke.

"Who are you?" Cynder asked through gritted teeth.

"I am Loki of Jotenheim," he answered.

"What do you want?"

"Quite simple my darling… you," he answered.

"Why? Why do you want me?" she asked.

"You should be thanking me, seeing as how dragons of purple scales have treated your kind in the past," he said to her.

"What do you mean?" Cynder asked while circling him, "How do you know about hi?" He laughed.

"Surely you must be aware of the purebloods' history."

"They were the original dragons. They were the ancient ones. Eventually, they evolved into us," Cynder recalled.

"Young dragoness how wrong you are. Granted they are ancient, but no evolution took place."

"Why am I even talking to you? You're just spitting out lies!" she shouted. He laughed again.

"You remind me of your mother. So much anger. Very powerful."

"What? You knew her? That's impossible! You couldn't have known her!"

"Oh but I did. I saw her in battle. I saw a pureblood dragon with purple scales rip off her wings." He gradually raised his voice. "I saw her blood splatter in every direction!" He slowly approached her. "I saw her black scales litter the ground around her. I saw her cry out in pain! I saw tears in her eyes! "

"No! No you're lying!"

"She screamed as loud as she could, but nobody helped her. She was left to die! I saw her legs torn apart! I saw her body in shambles!" he approached her closer as Cynder stood frozen. "Do you know whose fault it is? Do you know who's to blame? It's his kind! It's their fault!" Loki shouted while flailing his hand towards her back. "All they do is take the ones they love from you." Cynder winced and staggered. She felt her mind go blank. She fell to the ground, unconscious. Loki stared at her confused. Then he saw a small metal object in her wing.

"Sorry, your speech was taking too long," spoke a male voice above him. "Was all that drama necessary?"

"It will benefit us. Even as we speak, she thinks about what she has just heard now," Loki explained. He looked at the man. He wore metallic armor and a jet pack rested on his shoulders. His face was hidden behind his helmet.

"Are you sure this is the one?" the man asked.

"I am. Hopefully, she'll make Eon more cooperative if necessary. Why? Do you not have faith in me?"

"I put faith into no one sir," he spoke bravely.

"You've learned well." Loki pulled a black stone from his pocket and held it open. It hovered in the air for a few seconds before shattering. A swirling portal took place of the stone shards and Loki threw Cynder over his shoulders. "Watch over them. Make sure that they do acquire Alex."

"Yes sir!" Loki disappeared through the portal with Cynder. The man in mandalorian armor looked around him. He removed his helmet and felt the few small rays of sunshine on his face. He placed his left hand on a holster concealing a small commando pistol. He grabbed the pistol flung his hand behind him. He looked and saw a mysterious warrior. He could tell it was a female by her build. The armor was dark yet simple. Her helmet had three small spikes erupting from the chin area. She grabbed two small cylinders and black light shot out and formed a point: black light sabers. She appeared to be a sith stalker. However, the man felt confident.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" he asked.

"When is nothing allowed?" she asked in response.

"I don't know, when there's a sign?"

"When all is permitted," she answered. He shot once as the woman twisted her hand and deflected it with her light saber. He shot again and she returned it back to him. He dodged and fired again. She swung her blade and the shot hit him this time. He flinched before firing again. She advanced as she deflected the next shot. He held his ground as he fired faster. She slowly approached him as the bolts bounced to the left and right. His rate of fire increased, as she got closer. He fired one last shot and she tilted her lightsaber and the bolt hit him in the eye. He fell to the ground and the woman stood right behind him.

He was on his hands and knees. She walked to his side and kicked him over. A black burn took his left eye's place. He stared at her with a scowl on his face.

"I know who you are. I know what your plan is assassin. You… you will never find him! The dark lord will return… and he will… seek revenge on those who imprisoned him!" the crippled man shouted, "Hail Sithis!"

"You won't be seeing it, ever," she said before jamming her left lightsaber into the other eye socket.


End file.
